New Jersey's political calendar on this Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 includes ...

Gov. Chris Christie finally conducts his pension/benefits focused "No Pain, No Gain: A Conversation at the Jersey Shore" town-hall meeting at the Long Branch Amphitheater at 3 p.m. His first attempt was rained out on July 15th. Follow live coverage on APP.com.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno tours the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing and gets a briefing with the Military Installation Growth & Development Task Force, 11 a.m. in Egg Harbor Township.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker does a meet-and-greet with the Wayne Hills High School football team, 10:30 a.m. in Wayne, then discusses Social Security and Medicare with seniors at the Richard A. Nest Adult Activity Center in Fort Lee at noon.

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt's office holds "Community Office Hours," at which staff members can provide constituent services, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the North Brunswick Municipal Building.

Statehouse Reporter:
Michael Symons is one of the longest-tenured reporters currently covering New Jersey politics from the Statehouse in Trenton, an assignment that has spanned six governors – though because it’s been a particularly tumultuous era, that’s actually only been since 2000. Before being assigned to Trenton, where his specialties include the state budget, Michael worked at the Home News Tribune (back when it had an ampersand in its name) and one of its predecessors, The News Tribune. He’s a lifelong New Jerseyan, raised in North Arlington in Bergen County and currently living in East Amwell in Hunterdon County, with a stop in between to graduate from Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 1993. Michael is co-author of the first biography of Gov. Chris Christie, ""Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power,"" published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. He has appeared on national television outlets such as MSNBC and C-SPAN, is a regular guest on NJTV’s public-affairs program Reporters Roundtable and has been interviewed on radio stations in New Jersey and around the country. In 2008, he created a state politics blog, Capitol Quickies, that continues to provide news and not-quite-news about New Jersey, its politics and government, including a daily scene-setter of the state’s political calendar. He’s on Twitter at @MichaelSymons_, where every week he receives inquiries about cooking he’s ill-equipped to answer from people hoping to connect with the similarly named Iron Chef star.